COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:Item No. 1: Larkin unlikelyIt would be the ultimate irony, and a delicious bit of validation for the Blue Jackets franchise and their perpetually underserved fans.For years, Blue Jackets fans had to listen to Detroit Red Wings fans scheme and imagine ways in which Columbus star defenseman Zach Werenski, a Michigan native, could his way out of Ohio and back to his hometown club.So last week, when news leaked that Red Wings captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin had requested a trade, it immediately got Blue Jackets fans thinking and dreaming that this summer’s offseason upgrades might include them adopting yet another Michigander.Blue Jackets fans know all too well that Werenski and Larkin are best buds — Team USA, the University of Michigan, etc. — so they put two and two together and came up with a resounding: “Oh, heck yeah.”Would Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell get in on that action? Could Werenski persuade Larkin to join him in Columbus?Well, it’s never nice to start a middle-of-the-offseason Gathering with a bouquet of wilted flowers, but that would seem to be the chances that Larkin’s next stop is Nationwide Arena and a Blue Jackets sweater.Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported last week that Larkin has a short list of teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause, and it stands to reason that he would want to play for a Stanley Cup contender in the short term.And the Blue Jackets are not likely to be on that list.Larkin’s request was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who has further reported that the short list is likely to include the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and maybe one or two upper-echelon clubs.The Blue Jackets may or may not be headed in the right direction — their nosedive at the end of the season left a bad taste with many — but Larkin has spent most of 10-year career on a club, the Red Wings, who are also said to be “headed in the right direction.”Except that neither team has yet shown they can get there.That lack of postseason play in Detroit is said to be at the heart of Larkin’s frustration, the chief reason he’s taken such a bold step to rebuff Yzerman’s plan and ask to be traded as the captain of an Original Six franchise.Well, joining Columbus wouldn’t solve that chief issue.Detroit has missed the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, the longest run in the NHL, followed by the San Jose Sharks (seven seasons). The Blue Jackets’ streak of six straight seasons outside the playoffs — the second-longest in franchise history — is tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the third-longest active skid.That doesn’t mean that Larkin’s trade request shouldn’t reverberate in Columbus, however.If you’ve paid attention to the NHL over the last five seasons, there has been a rash of young standout players forcing their way out of situations.Jack Eichel from Buffalo to Vegas. Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary to Florida. Pierre-Luc Dubois has played his way off three clubs, including Columbus, before landing with Washington. Quinn Hughes made it clear he wouldn’t sign in Vancouver, so he was traded to Minnesota. Now Larkin wants to make his pick.Werenski’s contract expires after the 2027-28 season, which means the Blue Jackets could sign him to an extension as soon as next summer. That also means that this coming season includes enormous pressure to start winning, or the situation with Werenski could start to mirror all of those others.Playing for Team USA at so many recent high-level international events, Werenski has said — that’s the World Championships, the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the Olympics — has reminded him how much he’s missed winning,The Blue Jackets made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, and Werenski had started to believe that would be the annual rhythm of things. But it hasn’t gone that way.“I haven’t had that much success in the playoffs here in the NHL, and I want that to change,” Werenski said this week on NHL Network. “I had so much fun on those (international) teams. It’s different with the long playoff run and all that, but winning anything is fun.